Amongst Misery, hope is foolish. Even naïve.
In Misery, we descend into that uncertain place where imagination is allowed to paint our future with the single brush of solitary despair. And what a logical thing to do.
We all have frailties and failings, which we have fought our entire lives. Or circumstances which have precluded life’s little joys. Many of us can trace with our mind, deep scars resulting from our fights against Misery. And as we fight, Misery persists and forces us to obsess on our flaws and isolation. Misery tells us that our failings cannot be overcome. In turn, we lurch away, towards distractions, or anything able to numb our hopelessness. Misery wants us to feel ashamed and unworthy. In time, we all grow weary of fighting. Then we descend alone.
When we fight alone, Misery will always eclipse hope.
And yet, no one is alone.
“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
Hope is a choice because relationship is a choice, with God and others.
Hope allows us to hear God’s shouts, and know that He is with us. And sometimes, we simply need the perspective of a friend or a loved one to help us listen to God’s voice in times of pain. Hope is often the thin line between life and death, and a decision we cannot afford to delay out of fear. Hope brings life into our moments of uncertainty and can carry us through suffering.
God meets us where we are, and promises to be with us. Even when we do not sense His presence, or hear His voice, He assures us that all of His promises are true. And He is trustworthy. In Him, we always have a reason to hope.
At Genesis Institute, we also meet you where you are and would love the opportunity to walk with you into uncertainty. We believe that in all pain, there lies the potential for something greater – which God has yet to reveal. Allow us the opportunity to strengthen your resolve so you can step forward into the unknown, with hope in your heart.
Haley Hanson, LMHC, MHP, NCC, CMFT
Genesis Institute Counsellor